(AFP) KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police Tuesday arrested at least 12 protesters including several opposition leaders as they defied a ban and attempted to hand a petition to parliament.

The arrests are the latest in a series of government crackdowns on recent protests and street demonstrations that have rocked the capital.

They also come one day after Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said he would sacrifice public freedom to maintain security in the wake of the mass rallies that have prompted legal action against the organisers.

Sentul district police chief Sofian Yasin said 12 people have been arrested so far while officials from opposition party Keadilan said 21 have been detained, including a 13-year-old boy.

More than 400 police surrounded the parliament to block the electoral reform campaigners who were forced to march there on foot after all roads leading to the building were closed off.

Trees lining the streets were posted with copies of a court order obtained by police that banned the campaigners from parliament.

"The authorities should not have done this. They should have been given the right to hand over a memorandum. After all, that's all they just wanted to do,"Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Keadilan president and opposition MP, told AFP.

Among opposition leaders arrested were the secretary-general of Keadilan and its information officer and a head of the hardline Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party.

The petition was eventually given to opposition members of parliament to be passed to the speaker.

The memorandum urges lawmakers to reject a proposed amendment to the constitution to extend the retirement age from 65 to 66 years for Election Commission officers.

The protesters claim this would allow the extension of tenure of election commission chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman for another one and a half years.

"Abdul Rashid, whose service is continuously marred with recurring electoral frauds and manipulations, is not fit for the job and must go immediately," the petition stated.

Cabinet minister Nazri Aziz defended the police action.

"They want to come and demonstrate today's amendment to the constitution. So they want to come in big numbers. We will not allow that," he told reporters at parliament.

"We have taken action against them and we are using the court system to prosecute these people," Nazri said.

Last month, nearly 30,000 demonstrators calling for free and fair elections massed in the capital in a protest led by an alliance of opposition parties and civil society groups.

In a separate rally, thousands of ethnic Indians protested alleged discrimination by Muslim Malays who dominate the population.

Police dispersed the crowds with tear gas and water cannons and arrested scores of demonstrators.

Dozens of government critics have since been rounded up and now face trial on charges including attempted murder and sedition, and the premier has threatened to invoke draconian internal security laws that allow detention without trial.

(AFP) WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday called on Malaysia to allow freedom of expression and assembly as the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi widened its crackdown on dissent.

"We have repeatedly raised with Malaysian authorities our belief that citizens of any country should be allowed to peacefully assemble and express their views," department spokeswoman Nancy Beck told AFP.

"We also stated in our annual human rights report our belief that the Malaysian government places significant restrictions on the right to assemble peacefully," she said.

Police permits are required under Malaysia law for public assemblies, defined as a gathering of five or more persons, but the State Department's rights report says senior police officials and political leaders influenced decisions on granting or denying some permits.

It said "a more restrictive policy" was applied with government critics, opposition parties, and human rights activists.

Beck's remarks on Monday came after Kuala Lumpur widened a crackdown on dissent following two mass rallies last month, with three legal actions taken Monday that rights groups and opposition leaders condemned as anti-democratic.

Ahead of elections, dozens of Malaysian government critics have been rounded up and now face trial on counts including attempted murder and sedition.

"If the choice is between public safety and public freedom, I do not hesitate to say here that public safety will always win," he said in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

The United States often hails Malaysia as a moderate Muslim democracy but the image took a knock when a series of indiscriminate destruction of Hindu temples were highlighted by some groups recently.

A US Congress-appointed commission expressed concern last week at the destruction of the temples and other alleged discrimination faced by religious minorities in Malaysia, one of Southeast Asia's more developed economies.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also urged the administration of President George W. Bush to raise the matter with Kuala Lumpur and "insist that immediate measures be taken to protect sacred sites and prevent further destruction."

The government, which cracked down on two mass rallies last month, took three separate legal actions Monday that rights groups and opposition leaders condemned as anti-democratic.

Among them was a revival of sedition charges against three leaders of ethnic Indian rights group Hindraf, which organised a November anti-discrimination protest that drew 8,000 people. The court had earlier allowed them to walk free on the charges, which carry a penalty of three years in jail.

Lawyers and their supporters were also charged in connection with a human rights march that they mounted in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday which was broken up by police.

Another prominent lawyer, Edmund Bon, was also charged with obstructing a city official who tried to remove protest banners from Malaysia's Bar Council building.

Twelve opposition figures were rounded up over the weekend in connection with an electoral reform rally last month which drew nearly 30,000 people who police dispersed with tear gas and water cannons.

(AFP) KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police fired tear gas at ethnic Indian protesters rallying here Sunday in support of a four trillion dollar lawsuit that blames Britain for their economic problems, witnesses said.

At least 8,000 protesters defied a ban and pushed their way towards the British High Commission (embassy) despite a heavy security presence.

Police used water cannon on the crowd that had gathered from around the country despite a police blockade since Thursday.

"Over the last 50 years Indian have been marginalised in this country and we now want the same rights as enjoyed by other communities," M. Kulasegaran, opposition lawmaker with the Democratic Action Party, told AFP.

"They have no rights to stop us from protesting today. This is the will of the people," he said.

The lawsuit targets Britain, Malaysia's former colonial ruler, and is aimed at highlighting what ethnic Indians there say is continuing discrimination.

It seeks four trillion dollars' compensation for the estimated two million ethnic Indians whose ancestors were brought here as indentured labourers by Britain in the 1800s.

The gathering is organised by the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). Three of their leaders were arrested on Friday under the Sedition Act and later freed on bail but one preferred to remain in jail.

The activists are also demanding the government boost the social and economic standards of minority Hindus, who make up the third largest community in Malaysia.

The government banned the rally, fearing it could spark racial violence and warned that anyone who participated would be detained.

Demonstrators condemned the tough police action and said that they would not be not silenced. At least a dozen protesters had been arrested, witnesses said.

"This act of police violence must stop. We are here to protest peacefully. We intend to march and hand over the petition to the British mission," A. Sivanesan, a lawyer acting for Hindraf, said.

N. Vijayan, 40, an engineer, said the Indian community had been marginalised for too long.

"This demonstration should be a wake-up call for the government that we are really upset with its policies," he said.

Raime had asked Ahmad Zahid what action would be taken against the international media for their wide coverage on the mammoth rally held over the weekend.

The rally, organised by the opposition-backed Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), saw some 40,000 people taking to the streets and the submission of a memorandum to the King.

“The media gave a very biased coverage of the illegal gathering until it indicated that our country is in a big mess.

“How would (state-owned television station) RTM straighten this out? And what kind of action would be taken against the media that reported inaccurate facts?” asked Raime.

Responding, Ahmad Zahid (BN-Bagan Datok) said RTM, in its coverage of the rally, showed that demonstrations must not be used as a medium to gain people’s support.

“Even though RTM used the gathering as its lead story, we used the story to send across the message that demonstrations are not the right way to gain support from the public. This is because demonstrations are very undemocratic and could ruin our country’s image and drive away foreign investors,” he said.

'Zam was wrong'

At this point, Lim (DAP-Ipoh Timur) stood up and said that Zainuddin had been wrong in accusing Al Jazeera, the international media mentioned by Raime, of alleged lopsided coverage.

Newspapers reported that Zainuddin, who is popularly known as Zam, had described the satellite television station’s coverage as unfair and confusing to people living overseas.

Lim said instead of pointing the finger at others, the ministry should look at its own coverage of the gathering.

“RTM is guilty of not reporting the facts. In fact, it did not even dare to give the exact number of people who had gathered on that day,” he said.

“It is unfair to say that Al Jazeera had conspired with the opposition. The truth is, RTM had conspired with Barisan Nasional to report negatively. And the order was given by the information minister (Zainuddin), who is the minister of misinformation,” he added.

Ahmad Zahid then urged Lim to retract his remark and this led to a shouting match between opposition and BN MPs.

However, Lim not only refused to withdraw his statement, but also called Ahmad Zahid the ‘deputy minister of misinformation.

East Coast Corridor involving the states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang

and now RM85 million Pujut Flyover in Miri and the RM220 million BDC interchange

KUCHING, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who will make a two-day visit to Sarawak next week, is expected to open two mega projects -- the RM85 million Pujut Flyover in Miri and the RM220 million BDC interchange here.

Sarawak Public Utilities Minister Datuk Seri Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said today the prime minister, who would be accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah, was scheduled to arrive in Miri on Monday to open the Pujut Flyover at 3pm and later attend an all-community dinner at the Pavillion Parkcity Everly Hotel.

The 498m flyover was completed in time for the Merdeka celebration on Aug 31, about 11 months ahead of schedule, by developer Global Upline Sdn Bhd, which is expected to carry out another infrastructure work worth RM400 million to build a four-lane highway connecting the Kuala Baram industrial area with the Miri airport.

The following morning, Abdullah will fly to Kuching to open the BDC Interchange at 10.45am, another mega project being undertaken by Global Upline which encompasses the Kuching International Airport and Stutong Link Road here leading from the city centre.

Serving as the main gateway for visitors to the city, it was completed in record time in May this year and opened to motorists, one year ahead of the targeted completion date.

Abdullah will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels and Resorts Pte. Ltd. and Global Upline for the construction of the Hotel Four Points Sheraton Kuching.

Awang Tengah said that the same day, the prime minister would perform yet another earth-breaking ceremony for the Sarawak Islamic Complex at Jalan P.Ramlee here before departing for Kuala Lumpur.

Abdullah and his wife are expected to arrive in Miri from Kota Kinabalu, where he is scheduled to open the Parti Bersatu Sabah's (PBS) 22nd Congress on Sunday.

Nov 2, 2007

(TheStar) KUALA LUMPUR: Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has kept himself active and is doing very well, according to his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

"He's walking around a lot more nowadays and is coping well with other exercises in his physiotherapy. But I'm definitely making sure that he gets all the rest that he needs," she said.

Dr Siti Hasmah has also imposed a "curfew" on her husband.

"He really wanted to be here today to meet all of you, but the doctors will not allow it. Even I will not let him," she joked during her speech at the Montblanc - Unicef "The Power to Write " campaign launch here Wednesday.

Dr Siti Hasmah opened the event on behalf of Dr Mahathir, who had agreed to endorse the global initiative by Montblanc aimed at promoting increased worldwide literacy among children.

"I'm proud that my husband is able to take part in this noble gesture, especially on this memorable day, which was when he stepped down as the Prime Minister four years ago," she quipped.

Actress and producer Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina has also joined in the collaboration.

Across the world, Dr Mahatir and Tiara now join 149 prominent personalities from politics, arts, culture, business, sports and entertainment in the fight against illiteracy.

Two Meisterstuck Montblanc pens will bear the signatures of Dr Mahatir and Tiara, and for every pen sold, RM550 of its proceeds will be donated in support of Unicef education programmes in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The pen retails at RM2,330 and will only be made available until Dec 31.

Dr Siti Hasmah spoke passionately of the issue of illiteracy, especially among children.

"Illiteracy is still prevalent among many children worldwide and it is a subject that is personal to my husband and I.

"There is no shortcut to eradicating illiteracy. Everyone, including parents, publishers, teachers and the public must play their role," she stressed.

She added that there were 115 million children worldwide missing out on their education.

In Malaysia, she said that the National Education Blueprint 2006/2010 found some 4% of primary schoolchildren and 0.8% of secondary schoolchildren illiterate.

"The findings showed the children being unable to completely master reading, writing and arithmetic skills.

"If nothing is done, this will frustrate our government's efforts of building the nation. More work definitely needs to be done," she said.

Oct 17, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is receiving treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) here after undergoing a second coronary bypass operation last month, Tuesday asked for Jalan Petaling "Tofu Fa" to go with his afternoon tea.

"The "Tofu Fa" (soya bean curd) from Jalan Petaling has been my father's favourite since the 1970s as it has its own distinctive taste, so different from that of other places," his son Datuk Mukhriz told reporters when met at the IJN.

He said that Dr Mahathir's appetite had since improved and that he had eaten spaghetti and fruits during lunch time.

Mukhriz, who arrived at the IJN at 3.15pm, spent over three hours with his father and mother Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.

"Tun also did some light exercises to strengthen the arm and chest muscles and walked a little to prepare for his discharge from IJN," he said, adding that the former prime minister continued to receive visits, bouquets and fruits from close friends.

On September 22, Dr Mahathir underwent wound debridement surgery at the IJN following his second coronary bypass operation at the institute on September 4.

He had undergone the first bypass operation in 1989 after a heart attack.

Oct 8, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been transferred to the Bunga Raya ward from the Intensive Care Unit of the National Heart Institute (IJN) at noon Monday.

The IJN said in a statement here that the doctors were happy with the former prime minister's progress and will continue with post-surgery rehabilitation including chest and muscle strenghtening exercises.

"Dr Mahathir has also been able to walk unaided since Sunday," said the IJN.

Dr Mahathir, 81, underwent a wound debridement surgery at the IJN on Sept 22 which was carried out by the same team of consultant surgeons who performed a second coronary bypass operation on him on Sept 4.

Despite being transferred to the normal ward, the IJN still limits visitions to immediate family members in order to give the former prime minister adequate rest in between physioteraphy sessions.

His son, Datuk Mokhzani told reporters at the IJN that his father was getting better and `improving a lot'.

"He is not going to be discharged today. It looks like we will be here for Hari Raya. Insya Allah, he will continue to improve and strengthen," he said.

Dr Mahathir's daughter, Datin Paduka Marina in her blog said her father had spaghetti marinara, salad, fruit and pudding for lunch after being transferred to the normal ward.

She said his moving up to the Bunga Raya ward was good enough for the family and Marina also posted some photos of his father on her blog, www.rantingsbymm.blogspot.com.

"I dashed to the IJN and found a whole press scrum downstairs. It seems that someone had told them that dad would be discharged today. Not quite true! But for the moment, the move up to the fifth floor (normal ward) is good enough for us," she said.

Oct 2, 2007

Soon someone is going to sue Malaysia for using "Negaraku", which is similar to a Hawaiian song.

JAKARTA, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- An Indonesian lawmaker has called for an immediate response from the government to Malaysia's use of the traditional Indonesian song "Rasa Sayange" in its "Truly Asia" tourism campaign.

House of Representatives member Hakam Naja of the National Mandate Party said if the government could prove the song belonged to Indonesia, it should sue the Malaysian government.

"The government needs to check on its origin, whether it is from Indonesia or not," the deputy chairman of House Commission X overseeing education and tourism was quoted in a front-page report of the popular "Jakarta Post" daily, today.

Rasa Sayange is believed to have originated in Maluku where it has been sung for generations by people to express their love for the environment.

Hakam said Malaysia has in the past claimed ownership of traditional Indonesian handicrafts such as batik and wayang puppets.

"Such claims are made because of lack of action by the Indonesian government to copyright or patent the nation's heritage. In order to avoid one-sided claims, the government should patent the song immediately," he said.

He also called for an immediate inventory of the country's culture to help protect Indonesia's heritage through patents or copyrights.

"So if someone wants to use cultural elements of Indonesia, there should be compensation for the government, otherwise, other countries will keep trying to undermine us," he said.

Chairman of the Golkar Party faction at the House, Priyo Budi Santoso, as quoted in the report, said the government needed to determine whether Malaysia was using the song without Indonesia's permission.

"If they want to use Indonesia's traditional music, Malaysia should first ask for our permission because that's our country's heritage," he said.

Chairman of Indonesia's Copyright Council, Enteng Tanamal, said suing Malaysia was unlikely to succeed because the song's author was unknown.

"How can we sue Malaysia if nobody knows who wrote the song?" he said, adding that: "Therefore, it's fine if Malaysia uses the song as their tourism theme song."

However, he said, the government could check with the Directorate-General for Patents or the Tourism and Culture Ministry to find the song's writer.

He said Malaysia was not the only party to claim the song.

Ambon in Maluku and Manado in North Sulawesi have been arguing over ownership of the song for generations.

Sep 13, 2007

In China, a senior official at the Agricultural Bank of China was executed for corruption following years of ordering suppliers to pay him kickbacks. Wen Mengjie, 50, former head of information technology at one of the bank’s Beijing branches, was executed Tuesday for embezzling and taking bribes worth 15 million yuan (USD1.97 million).

In the Philippinnes, former president Joseph Estrada was sentenced to jail in prison after he was found guilty of massive corruption and plundering the country of tens of millions of dollars in tax kickbacks and bribes.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced he would resign after being dogged by a string of damaging scandals that hampered his reform agenda.

What do we have in Malaysia? Another year of shocking revelations of corruption, criminal breach of trust, overspending and mismanagement of funds by the Auditor-General, Tan Sri Amrin Buang – with the apt headline of the the New Straits Times yesterday “Same old story year in year out” – while the culture of impunity reigns on without anyone in high office having to bear responsibility for corruption and abuse of power.

Sep 12, 2007

(NST) KUCHING: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the rioting in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday could be the opposition’s desperate attempt to gain political mileage in the once Pas-ruled state."Maybe they are under pressure because the Barisan Nasional government has developed this once laidback state. Nothing really happened during their time.

"Now they see that the state has developed in a short period and they are trying to do nasty things to tarnish the government and the police. This is their brand of politics," Abdullah said.

The prime minister said he was saddened that Malaysians could be instigated to burn the Jalur Gemilang, which is a national symbol held in high esteem by the rakyat.

"Why burn the national flag, what did the Jalur Gemilang do to them? These things would not have happened if the organisers had respected the police and the laws of the country.

"But their intentions were different, they were well prepared to create a ruckus. That is why they came prepared with Molotov cocktails and other dangerous objects to attack the police. The riot was premeditated," he said.

The opposition parties urged the police to reval the identity of the man.

Opposition parties PAS and PKR today urged the police to reveal the identity of the man photographed burning the national flag during the clash in Kuala Terengganu over the weekend.

The photograph, which showed a man wearing a crash helmet, was published by almost all the major dailies.

In a joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur, both PAS and PKR stressed that the police were capable of identifying the culprit.

PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Akin said there were good reasons to suspect that those involved in the incident were agent provocateurs out to tarnish the name of opposition parties.

“We see the pictures in the newspapers and we know, they were taken by the police,” he claimed, adding that there were reports in the Chinese media stating that the police had confiscated the cameras of pressmen during the incident.

Sep 11, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- The Dewan Rakyat today rejected a motion to debate the riot in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday night in which seven people, including four policemen, were injured.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib dismissed the motion on the ground that although the issue was of public interest, it was not urgent.

"What happened was the police were quelling a riot," he said.

When tabling the motion, Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian) said the Internal Security Ministry should explain why live bullets had been used against unarmed civilians.

"There are question marks over police integrity in this episode as it appeared that there was a `trigger-happy' attitude vis-a-vis civilians without giving a second thought to people's lives and public safety," he said.

Salahuddin claimed that such an incident would not have happened if police issued permits to those wishing to organise peaceful gatherings.

The riot was sparked when police instructed the crowd of hundreds at an illegal political gathering at Jalan Sultan Mahmud, close to Batu Burok in the Terengganu capital, to disperse.

An urgent motion to debate the violent stand off between the police and opposition supporters in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday night was rejected by the Dewan Rakyat speaker Ramli Ngah Talib today.

Ramli agreed with Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian), who brought the motion, that the matter was of public interest but ruled that it was not an urgent matter that needed to be debated and discussed in the House.

“It is just a riot and the police are investigating. Therefore I find the matter is of no urgency and I reject your appeal to discuss the matter now in this proceeding,” he said.

Salahuddin had filed the motion yesterday and hoped that the matter would be allowed to be discussed today.

In the motion, Salahuddin said that the incident, which resulted in scores hurt and two men shot by a police fire, should be debated as it involved public interest.

He said that the Internal Security Ministry should explain as to why a live bullet was used to disperse the crowd.

“This House must be given the necessary and just opportunity to discuss and debate on the tragedy so justice can prevail,” he said in the motion.

“The Internal Security Ministry must explain to the people of Malaysia why live bullets were fired upon unarmed civilians,” added Salahuddin.

He blamed the police of being ‘trigger happy’ and lacking respect for the lives and safety of the public.

(AFP) KUALA LUMPUR : The Malaysian government has rejected the opposition's call for an independent inquiry into the bloody weekend clash in the north-eastern state of Terengganu.

Seven people were injured, including two who were hit by live bullets.

Speaking to our correspondent, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nazri Aziz, defended the firing of tear gas and use of water canons by police.

The clash between Malaysian riot police and more than 500 people attending a public forum took place in the heart of Terengganu state.

During the forum organised by the opposition coalition, the speaker delivered a lecture calling for clean and fair elections.

Police say the crowd had gathered without a legal permit, so they fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the people.

Seven were injured and more than 20 arrested.

Also for the first time, live bullets were alleged to have been fired into the crowd, severely injuring two opposition Islamic Party members.

Although their condition is said to be stable, the opposition has demanded an immediate independent inquiry into the incident.

Opposition and human rights leaders have condemned what they call excessive use of force by the police.

Mustapa Ali, Chief (Terengganu), Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party, said: "There must be a thorough investigation by an independent body because we believe what happened was planned and premeditated by the government and the police. They will find any avenue to stop our message from reaching the masses."

Denying the charges, the government also rejected the need for an independent inquiry.

Nazri Aziz said: "It's very clear. You don't have the permit, you don't do it. There are laws in this country so you don't need a royal commission to look into this."

Mr Nazri said the crowd triggered the clash by hurling rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police.

He added: "Police are also normal human beings. They've been attacked by a group of people they have every right to defend themselves, you can't wait till you're injured."

Despite the government's defence of the police action, opposition and human rights groups have vowed not to let the matter rest, saying they'll sue the police, press for debate in parliament, and continue holding more rallies.

Mahathir’s 48 hours of critical stageFormer prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been given 48 hours by his doctors to regain consciousness following his second coronary bypass surgery yesterday.

He is still in a critical stage after undergoing the five-hour surgery at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning.

His son Mukhriz was quoted by Bernama today as saying that the attention was now on the second phase (post-surgery) for 81-year-old Mahathir's recovery.

He added that the family hoped this stage would go smoothly and safely.

"This recovery phase is a ‘lifeline’ for dad, because anything can happen during this time. So we need to pray harder and give special care and attention for him to pass this second test,” said Mukhriz, who is Mahathir’s fifth child.

"The doctors said my father's situation is stable and that his heartbeat and pulse are normal,” he added.

Bernama quoted him as saying that the family was hoping for Mahathir to regain consciousness any time, and that they will keep the media informed of developments from time to time.

Sep 3, 2007

His son, Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir confirmed that Dr Mahathir had been admitted into IJN yesterday for the surgery.

“He is all right and preparing for the operation. He wanted to wait until after the Merdeka celebrations,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Dr Mahathir’s most recent public appearance was during the Merdeka Day Parade at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, with his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali where he was seen waving the Jalur Gemilang to the beat of the music.

Mokhzani said Dr Siti Hasmah was with his father at the hospital. IJN is expected to release a statement on Dr Mahathir today.

No visitors are allowed.

“We ask that all Malaysians pray for his good health,” Mokhzani added.

According to a press statement released by the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Monday, Tan Sri Dr Yahya Awang will head the surgery team while IJN's medical director Datuk Seri Dr Robaayah Zambahari is heading the panel of doctors attending him.

"Doctors have advised against Tun Dr Mahathir receiving any visitors with the exception of immediate family members," it said.

The statement added that Dr Mahathir had been admitted to IJN on Sunday as a preparation for an elective coronary bypass surgery, which will take place Tuesday.

Dr Mahathir underwent a coronary bypass operation in 1989 at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital following a heart attack.

Aug 31, 2007

Aug 28, 2007

(AFP) KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia marks the 50th anniversary of its independence later this week at a time when it is increasingly questioning its own identity amid rising Islamisation and racial polarisation.

Since winning independence from Britain, Malaysia has been transformed into one of the Muslim world's most developed countries, complete with skyscrapers such as the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and massive highways and ports.

It has also slashed poverty through stable economic growth.

Yet as the country prepares to mark a half-century of nationhood on Friday, many are struggling to agree on what it means to be Malaysian, and how much your religion and culture counts.

P. Ramasamy, a political scientist and former professor with the National University of Malaysia, is worried about a rising influence of Islam, and the racial and religious divisions it could spark.

"If this is the indicator after 50 years, I do not want to look forward to the next 50 years as the situation may become worse," he told AFP.

Islam is the official religion here and Muslim Malays make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people, with the rest mostly Buddhist, Christian and Hindu.

Freedom of religion is enshrined in the constitution but a number of recent events -- such as a court's decision not to recognise a woman's conversion to Christianity and a row over whether Sharia law should be incorporated into the legal system -- have highlighted long-standing divisions.

Malaysia experienced deadly race riots between Malays and Chinese in 1969 sparked by political rivalries and anger over the wealth of the Chinese, and today ethnic Malays dominate politics.

The National Front coalition -- formerly known as the Alliance Coalition -- has ruled Malaysia since independence.

It includes ethnic Chinese and Indian parties, but is dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Abdullah frequently preaches national unity and freedom for all religions, but Zaid Ibrahim, a lawmaker with UMNO, says that communal relationships have become worse over the past five decades.

"This 50th celebration of our independence brings to me a tinge of sadness," he told AFP.

"I'm sad that we have become a country that talks of race and religion on a daily basis, and that we feel the need to continuously emphasize power, authority and coercion to extract obedience," he said.

Former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was sacked and jailed in 1998, told AFP that Islam in Malaysia had been "hijacked" for political reasons by the ruling party, and urged caution against creeping extreme Islamic tendencies.

He pointed to a recent decision by the Federal Court rejecting a women's bid to be legally recognised as a Christian after converting from Islam.

Lina Joy waged a decade-long battle to have the word "Islam" removed from her national identity card, but the court threw out her case and said only the Sharia court can legally certify her conversion.

Anwar decries not just the religious divisions, but the economy, which he says is being battered by corruption.

"Foreign investments are heading elsewhere. This is due to incompetence, poor governance and refusal to change. So we are losing out to Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, India and China," he said.

Quality of life for many Malaysians, however, has risen considerably over five decades.

Most homes now have a car and two television sets. Per capita income last year stood at 5,388 dollars, up from 2,335 dollars in 1990.

Aug 27, 2007

This is a great blow to public and investor confidence in the just rule of law, especially efficient upholding of law and order and the fair administration of justice, which had reached increasingly critical level because of a series of incidents including:

Sloppy police investigations of crimes and sloppy prosecution even resulting in many accused charged with serious crimes being acquitted without their defence being called;

Long delays by judges to deliver grounds of judgments – in one case involving nine years and three months and with one Federal Court judge with 33 outstanding grounds of judgments for criminal and civil cases dating back to his High Court tenure.

The seven-month constitutional crisis over the appointment of the new Chief Judge of Malaya which highlighted the urgent need for judicial reforms including having a Judicial Commission to recommend appointment and promotion of judges.

The minister was conspicuously absent from a press conference called Tranport Ministry at the PKFZ headquarters regarding the issue today.

Other ministry officials also did a disappearing act, leaving PKFZ officials to distribute a five-page statement from the ministry.

Unfortunately, the statement does little more than state some facts already known about the fiasco, fudge other facts, while completely ignoring a host of other important questions that have been raised with regards to the development project.

The statement confirmed that the government has approved a 'soft loan' to Port Klang Authority (PKA), the state-owned agency responsible for the mega-project. "Details of the borrowing are being finalised," it said.

According to the statement, the ‘facts’ are:

The land on which PKFZ now stands was bought at RM1.088 billion which, paid over 15 years with 7.5 percent interest, amounts to RM1.807 billion. This clarifies earlier discrepancies on the actual sum paid - put simply, the land price was RM1.1 billion while PKA which bought the land had to pay in total RM1.8 billion over 15 years.

PKFZ was initially to be developed in two phases - the first, to develop 500 acres with a price tag of RM400 million.

However, following the advice of the Dubai-based Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza), PKFZ’s owner Port Klang Authority agreed to develop the land in one go at a cost of RM1.845 billion, said the statement, which appeared to suggest that Jafza should shoulder part of the blame.

This included additional developments such as the building of a business-class hotel with 135 rooms.

“Hence, the total cost of PKFZ after including the land purchase and development costs, interest cost of 7.5 percent, professional fees of 10 percent and a variation order limited to 20 percent (if used) is estimated at RM4.632 billion,” read the statement.

The ministry also said PKFZ is a national project to help increase the volume of cargo at Port Klang “to serve as a catalyst for national economic growth and to create employment opportunities and ancillary support services and business activities.

“Hence, because the total PKFZ costs are high, the government has agreed to approve a soft loan to PKA. The details of that loan are under discussion,” it added.

Aug 21, 2007

Malaysiakini : The Internal Security Ministry has directed the mainstream media to stop publishing reports related to the ‘Negarakuku’ controversy.

This was confirmed by the ministry’s Publications Control and Al-Quran Texts Unit senior officer Che Din Yusof.

“Yes, the directive was issued today,” he said when contacted. “What more is there for the papers to write? Enough is enough.

“There are so many other things that can bring benefit to the nation, why focus on this issue and bring in other points? He (Wee Meng Chee) has already apologised,” he added.

However, Che Din said the media can still report on comments made by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Najib Abdul Razak on the issue.

Raise tensions

Meanwhile, Che Din justified the ministry’s move in issuing the directive on the grounds that the issue can raise tensions in the country.

“(If we keep talking about it) it will raise tensions, do you know that?

“You as an emotional layman can say anything, If I wasn’t a civil servant, I can say anything too. It’s too polemic already in the newspapers,” he said.

According to him, political leaders, NGOs and Wee himself can no longer have their statements published in the newspapers.

As for the exception given to the prime minister and his deputy, Che Din said the statements made by these leaders are aimed at "fixing the situation".

Asked whether there is a similar ban on the broadcast media, he said: “Those belong to other ministries but if it was under (my ministry), I would order them to stop (broadcasting the Negarakuku issue too).